Game Boy PC (Raspberry Pi)

[RetromanIE]

So I thought I'd start a thread for my new little project. I'm building a pc inside a Game Boy DMG-01 case(so it is retro related). It will be used for XBMC and emulators so I thought it might interest some of you guys here.

Anyway, I've decided to use the new Raspberry Pi system as its small but powerful enough for my needs and allows a lot of hacking and modding to the software and hardware side of things. This is going to be a Linux machine.

I've prepared the case already and kept all the original game boy parts nice and safe(this unit had a faulty screen but everything else was fine).

http://www.retrovia.org/dls/pics/DSC_0637b.jpg

http://www.retrovia.org/dls/pics/DSC_0638b.jpg

http://www.retrovia.org/dls/pics/DSC_0639b.jpg

That small screen you see is a 2.5” 65K colour TFT LCD with a res of 320 x 240.
It might or might not work with the Raspberry Pi but is around the right size should I decide to install a small screen in this thing. The Rasp Pi does support some mobile phone screens (Nokia N9 and N8 for example) so if this doesn't work I'll get one of them. The screen would be wired onto the board and not connected via the HDMI connection.


As the Raspberry Pi wont be on sale for another week or two this is all just prep work but I have all the dimensions of the board so can work out roughly the best way to put it in the GB.

More to come.........

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[RetromanIE]

3D Models of the Game Boy and Rasp Pi.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq3SMVh_CEo

[RetromanIE]

Some high resolution pictures of the board.
There may be some small design differences from this image and the actual final board.


http://www.retrovia.org/dls/pics/PC236526b.jpg


http://www.retrovia.org/dls/pics/PC236530b.jpg

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[dongles]

looks sweet

[Vector]

Now this is something I could really get behind. Would this raspberry pi thing fit inside a more modern gameboy? Like a Gameboy Color or even a GBA?

You planning on doing more than one of these?

[RetromanIE]

Now this is something I could really get behind. Would this raspberry pi thing fit inside a more modern gameboy? Like a Gameboy Color or even a GBA?

You planning on doing more than one of these?

I'll see how it goes with this first case. I'll probably try to mod a few different cases for it but I'm mostly looking forward to the Game Boy mod.


I picked up a 7" LCD screen today that might also work with it(the DSI connector, not the HDMI) so I'll see what I can do with that.

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[RetromanIE]

Got a batch of tiny and medium size screen in today(2" up to 10") for some other PC mods I'm working on.
Some of them are DSI compatible so might also work well with the Raspberry Pi(barring any driver issues of course).

Really need them to release this Pi so I can start testing :msp_smile:

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[gwkels]

I'd buy one of these gameboy pc's.
You thinking of making a few and selling them on retroman?

[RetromanIE]

I'd buy one of these gameboy pc's.
You thinking of making a few and selling them on retroman?

Lets see if I can get it working and looking decent before we go into mass production :msp_biggrin:

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[RetromanIE]

Here's a revised video of the 3D model I'm using to plan everything(old model was 1.3mm to short in length and 1.3mm to wide for some reason).

Also, music is better in this one :have a nice day:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mq3SMVh_CEo

[RetromanIE]

Hmm, its becoming clear that the DSI connectors might not be usable for a while when the Raspberry Pi is released as they might not have drivers for them yet.

This means no small screen can be attached to them. So the RasPiBoy will just be an PC initially than needs to be connect to a screen(via HDMI) as well as a keyb/mouse.

Not the end of the world I guess.

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[RetromanIE]

Well the Raspberry Pi went on sale this morning and both sites selling it crashed and burned. But after an hour or two I managed to order one :pacman:

Now, have to wait until they arrive from China to the UK and then get shipped to me here in Ireland. Should be here around the 12th of March according to my order.

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[GodsDead]

This is fantastic! I literally had the exact same idea, Googled it which took me to your youtube video, to this forum.
Please keep this upto date! Id love to follow the same project.

Are you planning on Having the colour screen inside the gameboy as a second screen to show system stat's/whats playing on xbmc?

Are you planning on having the physical buttons do anything? For instance you could take an old USB keyboard and map the physical keys to the arrow keys and enter, to actually control XBMC!

[RetromanIE]

This is fantastic! I literally had the exact same idea, Googled it which took me to your youtube video, to this forum.
Please keep this upto date! Id love to follow the same project.

Are you planning on Having the colour screen inside the gameboy as a second screen to show system stat's/whats playing on xbmc?

Are you planning on having the physical buttons do anything? For instance you could take an old USB keyboard and map the physical keys to the arrow keys and enter, to actually control XBMC!

Hey GodsDead, welcome to the forum.

I won't know how much I can utilise the small colour screen until I have the board and a screen that will work with it for sure. But ideally I'd have it as the main screen until a hdmi/dvi cable is connected and then that would become the primary and the small screen the secondary(so could show XBMC stats and details like playing now,time left etc).

I'd like to use the original buttons like you say and have sourced a very small usb keyboard that I can strip down and then connect to the orignal buttons and dpad. This could be used to control XBMC or emulators(a Game Boy emulator for instance) while using the small screen.

I'll update this thread with any new details or ideas as they happen and hopefully I will get the Rasp Pi board sooner rather than later so I can start the real work on it.

I'm also working on other rasp pi mods, like the Kodak cam mod thats also posted in the main "Repairs,Mods and Guides (http://www.retrovia.ie/forumdisplay.php/25-Repairs-Mods-and-Guides)" section.
But the Game Boy mod is the first one I want to do so that will get the first Raspberry Pi board that arrives.


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[GodsDead]

Hey, Thanks!
Is this whole forum dedicated to anything electrically retro?

Your ideas for the screen are the same as mine, although I have little knowledge about anything electrical, I was going to get started with arduino, But then I saw these Raspberry Pi machines a few years back in development, and forgot about it until the recent sales!
Anyway gone off topic already, have you done any research on how to connect a third party small screen? Im sure if your able to connect it, then its all software to figure out a duel screen/xbmc automated system.

I did a basic keyboard mod not long ago, you don't need any of the keyboard apart from the USB PCB which is tiny, and solder the connections in sequence to find what keys it outputs, I used trial and error on the tabs, since I know literally no electronics, Turned out to be an alright Google Reader "next article (p)" foot pedal!

Didn't even consider running an emulator! that a fantastic idea!

Please could you document the hardware build of this when you get your board, It would be so interesting, all my methods are going to be trial and error I guess!

[RetromanIE]

Hey, Thanks!
Is this whole forum dedicated to anything electrically retro?

Your ideas for the screen are the same as mine, although I have little knowledge about anything electrical, I was going to get started with arduino, But then I saw these Raspberry Pi machines a few years back in development, and forgot about it until the recent sales!
Anyway gone off topic already, have you done any research on how to connect a third party small screen? Im sure if your able to connect it, then its all software to figure out a duel screen/xbmc automated system.

I did a basic keyboard mod not long ago, you don't need any of the keyboard apart from the USB PCB which is tiny, and solder the connections in sequence to find what keys it outputs, I used trial and error on the tabs, since I know literally no electronics, Turned out to be an alright Google Reader "next article (p)" foot pedal!

Didn't even consider running an emulator! that a fantastic idea!

Please could you document the hardware build of this when you get your board, It would be so interesting, all my methods are going to be trial and error I guess!

The forum is for anything retro related whether that be software or hardware.

I've done a bit of research on the screen. Basically I want to connect a small screen to the DSI connectors on the board leaving the HDMI free to use an external display on. I have a fairly large selection of screen types and sizes (from 2" to 7")that I'll be testing on the rasp pi. It will be a matter on getting the correct screen and also getting or compiling a driver for it(which is the awkward bit).

Hopefully with so much interest in the Raspberry Pi lots of people will be working on drivers for various screens and other devices so I don't have to try and put some sort of driver together myself.

I'll be keeping a log of the whole thing when I get the board and any other parts.
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[RetromanIE]

Still waiting on my Raspberry Pi like everyone else but I did pick up a small 4 port USB hub.
It's small, but even smaller when I removed the plastic case on it. The plan is to mount it inside the Game Boy and hook it up to one of the existing USB ports by just plugging it in to one of them or soldering it to the connectors on the board.

I'll post up some pictures later as well as some links to where to get this model in case anyone wants it. It only cost about 5 euro and seems to be of decent enough build quality.

I've also ordered a cheap 3D printed model of the Raspberry Pi for use in sizing and modding the Game Boy and some other RaspPi mods I'm working on. It's not that pretty but it is to scale and with the possibility of having to wait weeks or months for the actually board it seemed like a good idea.

Edit:
Pics and link.
This is the exact same model of hub i got.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000PANXPY

139

And the 3D printed model to help with modding until the real deal arrives.
140


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[Haioboy1989]

Hey I just wanted to say that this is an awesome idea. I thought about something along these lines when they first told us about the Pi. I was just wondering though if you had to mod out the battery compartment to make it work. I thought it could be a handy place to store micro SD for hot swappin OS's.

[RetromanIE]

Hey I just wanted to say that this is an awesome idea. I thought about something along these lines when they first told us about the Pi. I was just wondering though if you had to mod out the battery compartment to make it work. I thought it could be a handy place to store micro SD for hot swappin OS's.

Well I don't have a Pi yet but I know what you mean about the battery compartment. I'm thinking of a new plan to keep the compartment(maybe to actually store batteries?) and change the orientation of the Pi inside the Game Boy.
I'll need to wait until I have a physical board to play around with before I can make a proper decision on it.

Also, welcome to the forums :grin:

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[RetromanIE]

The Pi is en-route :have a nice day:

Due to arrive on Monday or Tuesday.

I've ordered a new Dremel from Amazon as my old one just died this weekend so time for a new and shiny cordless one to mod this Game Boy case.


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[RetromanIE]

Pi Time :D :D :D


Lots of pics(sorry):



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297298





Lots to do, lots to do.


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[RetromanIE]

She ain't purty but it'll do until I sort out the Game Boy. I created those lovely holes for the ports by stabbing like crazy with my SOG Seal Pup knife. Brilliant knife by the way if you can get your hands on one.


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300


Edit:
The box is anti static and was originally used to store old tapes that were/are used in server backups.

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[RetromanIE]

The small wireless n card and 16GB USB drive that's going inside the Game Boy arrived today. Just as small as they looked on the site and wont take up much room inside the case(These will be on a mini powered USB hub I have that needs to be somehow mounted inside the case).

http://imageshack.us/a/img21/7596/smallusb.jpg

I've also started toying with the idea of using the composite video on the Pi to run a 3.5" screen instead of the DSI connection on the PI that nobody seems to know much about yet. This will involve some extra modding to fit the screen in where the original 2.6" screen went.

As always, more research required but it would certainly add to the whole case mod if I had a working screen in it.

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[Gardlok]

Hello Retroman, first let me say...awesome forum, good job :)
I think this project is brilliant and when I first studied on the RasPi it occurred to me that something like this is possible. Then I seen your model on youtube and I knew I too HAVE to try this. As a sys admin I can use such a device for countless applications. It can be an awesome tool that fits in the pocket! At the fraction of an equivalent PDA or similar device, PLUS its a GameBoy! Bringing back an old icon and putting it to work!

So I too will be having my hands on this idea and will be working toward a finished product. Unfortunately I have been unable to get gameboy yet. So you don't have to apologize for the number of pictures, LOL, they give me more of an idea of what to expect. Hopefully soon I will be ready to start publishing my notes and maybe we can bounce some ideas.

Again, great work!

[RetromanIE]

Hello Retroman, first let me say...awesome forum, good job :)
I think this project is brilliant and when I first studied on the RasPi it occurred to me that something like this is possible. Then I seen your model on youtube and I knew I too HAVE to try this. As a sys admin I can use such a device for countless applications. It can be an awesome tool that fits in the pocket! At the fraction of an equivalent PDA or similar device, PLUS its a GameBoy! Bringing back an old icon and putting it to work!

So I too will be having my hands on this idea and will be working toward a finished product. Unfortunately I have been unable to get gameboy yet. So you don't have to apologize for the number of pictures, LOL, they give me more of an idea of what to expect. Hopefully soon I will be ready to start publishing my notes and maybe we can bounce some ideas.

Again, great work!

Thanks and welcome to the forum.

If you do decide to make something similar then we can definitely swap notes. You can learn from my mistakes and disasters :)

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[RetromanIE]

Just grabbed one of these to see if I can use it to map the Game Boy controls in the RasPiBoy over USB.

The plan would be to gut the thing and use it without a case of course. This little pad is made by the same crowd who do the iCade.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$%28KGrHqV,%21lME3HUG+EEgBNyBuWFQow%7E%7E_3.JPG

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/ION-New-GO-PAD-Folding-Computer-Game-Controller-Game-/110685682145?pt=Video_Games_Accessories&hash=item19c56179e1


Imagine it without the plastic shell and inside the RasPiBoy but using the original Game Boy buttons and DPad).


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ICN60L0PaPk

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[RetromanIE]

So I roughly molded some Sugru on the Pi last night to protect the GPIO pins as well as raise the board up slightly from whatever its sitting on. Sugru is non conductive by the way and very heat resistant.

The Sugru on the pins was molded on and then taken off to let it cure. If I'd left it on it'd be stuck pretty well to them and that's not what I want. The Sugru on the 4 corners was molded on and left to cure attached to the Pi as I want them to be a bit more secure until I put it in the case and can then just pull them off easily enough.

Its not art but it'll do the job for the moment :0)

301302
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[wozza365]

hey im very interested in this, i might even do this for my electronics project next year as long as everything goes ok for you, id try at home but dont really have the right equipment

[wozza365]

also this might be of interest

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Port-High-Speed-Slim-Laptop/dp/B004G6RHZ0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1335094747&sr=8-3

judging by the picture, if you open the case it will be tiny, and it may be possible to fit it so the other 2 are still available, somehow lol

[RetromanIE]

also this might be of interest

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Port-High-Speed-Slim-Laptop/dp/B004G6RHZ0/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1335094747&sr=8-3

judging by the picture, if you open the case it will be tiny, and it may be possible to fit it so the other 2 are still available, somehow lol

Thanks wozza365,
I've already picked up one similar to that and stripped the case from it. It works well but still takes up a bit more space than I'd like. It's more to do with its shape than its size so I've ordered a couple of small different shaped hubs to see if I can work them into the Game Boy a bit easier.

This is my current USB hub, you can see the wireless N stick I'm using on the far left and a very small 16GB drive beside it.

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[wozza365]

very nice indeed, i do hope this works as id love to build one myself

how much do you think this has cost you so far?

[RetromanIE]

very nice indeed, i do hope this works as id love to build one myself

how much do you think this has cost you so far?

Well I'd already got the faulty Game Boy so I used the case from that and I've plenty of SD cards and keyboards etc..

Price list for the main bits:
Rasp Pi: €31.87 inc shipping.
Wireless n card: €10
Sandisk mini 16GB: €10
USB Hub: €5

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[wozza365]

what about the screen? or do you not know which one you are using yet?

A good idea would be to cut out a box where the controls are and put a small touch screen monitor on it, it will probably be hard to set up, but pretty awesome as well, although hard to use controls for games etc

[RetromanIE]

what about the screen? or do you not know which one you are using yet?

A good idea would be to cut out a box where the controls are and put a small touch screen monitor on it, it will probably be hard to set up, but pretty awesome as well, although hard to use controls for games etc

I have a good selection of screens but with the DSI connector on the board doesnt have a proper driver yet so I'd need to use a normal composite display of some sort.

Of course there's the HDMI for large external screens and that works fine. In fact I'm replying to you using the PI hooked up to my Alienware OptX AW2310 3D display right now and it works great.


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[wozza365]

nice, i know it works on normal screens but its whether it will work on smaller screens, hopefully someone will sort out a driver for the DSI

Im guessing you'll be using a much better quality screen than the original gameboy one? lol

[wozza365]

also you said that you will be running emulated games, just wanted to see how they run if youve tried them?

the benefit is that you should be able to play more modern gameboy games as well such as color or advance, maybe even PS1 games

[Gardlok]

The benefits are only limited to your imagination.

[wozza365]

Just wondering if there is an update?

[RetromanIE]

Just wondering if there is an update?

No major updates. I'm doing a lot of work on the software side of things.
I did order a lot of new modding tools from amazon that should arrive tomorrow or the next day.

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[RetromanIE]

Ok, So here are my new mod tools and accessories(the mini joypad is in there as well if you can spot it).

This will be a very boring selection of pics for those not interested so apologies. I'm only posting them as they will all be used for modding the Game Boy case(as well as others). I've posted them in a small size so as not to fill a page with random non retro things.



305306307

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311312313


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[RetromanIE]

Looks like that mini joypad I got will fit well into the controls area of the GB. And I should be able to re-use the original GB Dpad and buttons, which I'm happy about.

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[8bit Diva]

any plans to sell these on once you have everything setup?

[RetromanIE]

any plans to sell these on once you have everything setup?

Not really Diva, its more a labour of love(and pain) :)

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[RetromanIE]

Ok, I broke ground(so to speak) on the Game Boy mod the other day.

After much planning I've decided to remove the battery compartment and utilise that space to fit the Pi and have the USB and NIC connections facing out the bottom of the case. The plan now is to try and get extenders for the remaining connections and feed them up to the top of the case and have them all there, leaving the sides free for other things that I might like to have(extend the GPIO pins to a side port maybe).

The case closes over perfectly by the way.

It's a bit rough at the moment and needs some fine sanding but the basic plan is there. I'll be using Sugru to cushion certain parts as well as to cover up any mistakes in the cutting towards the end of the mod. When I'm done I might just get another Game Boy and redo the whole thing as I'll have learned from my mistakes and can hopefully do it perfectly then, maybe.



315

[wozza365]

Looks awesome, just put in an order for my Pi

[camer0n]

I was hoping to do something very similar to what you have done. It will look awesome when it is completed.

I have been looking for a decent screen that will work without drivers, but that seems much harder than it should be.

Good luck!

[RetromanIE]

I was hoping to do something very similar to what you have done. It will look awesome when it is completed.

I have been looking for a decent screen that will work without drivers, but that seems much harder than it should be.

Good luck!

I know what you mean about the screen. It's just so hard (as in impossible) to find a small one that will fit inside the Game Boy that has drivers(and the correct connector or adapter).

I've ordered a 3.5" LCD that has a composite/RCA video connector on it that I'll try and cram it into the Game Boy and see if I can make it fit. It's the type of screen they use in car reversing camera/lcd kits.
It should be here this week or early next week and I'll try it out then and post some pics/vids here if it works(or doesn't).

The LCD (obviously I'll be removing the screen and electronics from that plastic case):
http://imageshack.us/a/img521/9190/file783.jpg

[camer0n]

That's going to be a tight fit. Are you going to be leaving the RPi as stock?

Do you have some plans for powering by batteries? Can you fit a mobile phone battery or two inside a game cartridge, or is that where the USB hub will fit?


Edit:
Just found some screens that would fit better, but will almost definitely need drivers, etc.
2.8" LCD
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-8-Inch-240-x-320-TFT-LCD-Display-Module-PCB-Adapter-Board-/110843145702?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item19cec42de6
2.8" LCD with Touch Module
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221037723753

[RetromanIE]

That's going to be a tight fit. Are you going to be leaving the RPi as stock?

Do you have some plans for powering by batteries? Can you fit a mobile phone battery or two inside a game cartridge, or is that where the USB hub will fit?


Edit:
Just found some screens that would fit better, but will almost definitely need drivers, etc.
2.8" LCD
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-8-Inch-240-x-320-TFT-LCD-Display-Module-PCB-Adapter-Board-/110843145702?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item19cec42de6
2.8" LCD with Touch Module
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221037723753

It'll be tight alright. Not sure if it will work but worth a try. As for batteries, I should be able to fit a nokia one in no problem.
I have lots of screens like those ones and they are easy to get, but again it's the drivers that are the issue, not screen availability.

[RetromanIE]

Ok, I managed to get all the electronics (except the screen as I've not cut a hole for it yet as It's not the final screen I'll be using) more or less inside the Game Boy. It's a bit of a ugly setup at the moment with the case held closed with a cable tie and the internals held in place with white tac but it's still not finalised so no point in doing anything permanent just yet.

Click for much larger images:
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/7843/dsc1660b.jpg (http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/6114/dsc1660g.jpg)

http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/7217/dsc1662b.jpg (http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/9756/dsc1662a.jpg)

Pixel shot:
http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/6431/dsc1662closeb.jpg (http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/5514/dsc1662close.jpg)


Boot Vid(best in 1080p Fullscreen):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAbJy9bMNbw


Still lots to do but getting there, bit by bit :)

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[RetromanIE]

As I've said, the screen is rubbish and will be replaced with a better quality one soon. But as requested by a few people on other forums and youtube here's the link to the cheap screen I used.


http://www.ebay.ie/itm/150715003190?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649


Specifications from auction:
Screen size: 3.5"
Resolution: 640 * 480
Display format: 4:3
Power: ?4W
Power supply: DC 12V
Video: 2 ways AV input reversing automatic display, AV signal automatic detection startup
System: PAL/NTSC 2 systems auto switch
Contrast: 350?1
Working temperature: -20??50?
Standby temperature: -30??40?
Item weight: 132g
Item size: 10.5 * 6.5 * 1.5cm
Package size: 10 * 5.3 * 11.5cm
Package weight: 174g

I really wouldn't recommend this screen for anything permanent really as the quality of the display just isnt great.

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[camer0n]

What screen do you have in mind for the final version?

[RetromanIE]

What screen do you have in mind for the final version?

I've a few of these ordered from Deal Extreme. Same idea as the one I used to test but of a much higher quality. These screens are used in many mods you see around including the Sega Nomad screen mod and a lot of hand held conversions (portable Nintendo 64 and that type of thing).

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/2927/sku204151.jpg

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/3-5-lcd-rear-view-tv-dvd-mp4-dual-input-video-monitor-with-dashboard-stand-pal-ntsc-20415

[RetromanIE]

Extra shot of the screen in its rough and ready form:
Click for full size image.

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/92/dsc1679b.jpg (http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/1389/dsc1679y.jpg)

[camer0n]

How difficult is it to use X in such a low resolution?

[RetromanIE]

How difficult is it to use X in such a low resolution?

It's manageable but you wouldn't want to be doing a lot of work on it. I'll be doing up some sort of interface that's more usable on such a small screen at some stage, unless someone else does it first or has it already.

Here's a vid I just did of some normal games running on the screen(GameCube). It's actually not bad at running these considering it only cost £10 sterling. Sound is low and a bit distorted as its coming from some small and cheap speaker in the Pi.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b-Dp40ZscA

[RetromanIE]

Did some modding and other work on the RasPiBoy this evening and I must say I'm very happy with how its coming along.

Couple of quick pics and some vids to follow later.
Click for full size versions:

http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/4089/dsc1719b.jpg (http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/594/dsc1719r.jpg)

http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/3567/dsc1723b.jpg (http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/9315/dsc1723t.jpg)


Edit:-
1st vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa-n1S4gSzw


Edit:-
2nd vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFe2ZKGniq4


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[camer0n]

Amazing work! I was wondering how you were going to do the screen. I am glad you kept the stock looks, and just changed the overscan.

You will have to wire up a tiny red LED to the front now, and sit it between the screen and the cover.

[RetromanIE]

Amazing work! I was wondering how you were going to do the screen. I am glad you kept the stock looks, and just changed the overscan.

You will have to wire up a tiny red LED to the front now, and sit it between the screen and the cover.


Yeah, I was thinking about cutting the bezel and installing the screen so all of it was in full view. But the way I have it now is more in keeping with the spirit of this mod.

I'll sort out an LED towards the end of the mod, maybe have it do something other than just light up if I can. Not sure yet but just hooking it up would be easy.

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[camer0n]

It won't really work with the plastic protector over the LCD, but have you thought of getting a touch screen for it? Will the Overscan effect the positioning?

[RetromanIE]

It won't really work with the plastic protector over the LCD, but have you thought of getting a touch screen for it? Will the Overscan effect the positioning?

Not really thought about a touch screen for it. I think for this mod it's fine without it but If I decide to do a mod on a larger screen for the next mod I'll definitely consider using one.

.

[GamePi]

Hello Retroman,

Great mod so far! :msp_cool:
I am trying to mod a GameBoy for my Pi too.
I'll mainly use a 7" screen over HDMI but I want to build in a 3.5" screen like yours too.

What is the disassembled maximum thickness of the 3.5" display plus board ?
Can you post a picture of the backside please ?


What is the minimum voltage where the display is still working correct ?

I would like to power it from a 2S Lipo (about 7.5 to 8.4 volts). Is that enough ?


Can you post your "config" file with the resolutions and framebuffers please ?

Thank you very much.

[RetromanIE]

Hello Retroman,

Great mod so far! :msp_cool:
I am trying to mod a GameBoy for my Pi too.
I'll mainly use a 7" screen over HDMI but I want to build in a 3.5" screen like yours too.

What is the disassembled maximum thickness of the 3.5" display plus board ?
Can you post a picture of the backside please ?


What is the minimum voltage where the display is still working correct ?

I would like to power it from a 2S Lipo (about 7.5 to 8.4 volts). Is that enough ?

Thank you very much.

I've not measured the thickness of the screen and board but the screen itself is very thin but the board has some capacitors that get in the way a bit.

None of the internal placements are final yet as I'm still working on them so I wont be posting pics of that until its as I want it to be. At the moment it all fits inside the Game Boy and I can close the case but its not perfect and is very tight in some areas.

I've also not measured the power requirements yet. I'm running everything off the mains right now but I'll be looking at sorting out some battery power fairly soon.

Much more work to be done before I'll have a detailed guide on what I did.

How are you getting on with your mod?

.

[GamePi]

Thank you.

I have just started yesterday with modifying the inside of the GameBoy.
I will put my Pi on the top part of the case so it might be close with the screen coming on top of it.
That's why I was asking. But I will order my 3.5" screen today.
I am happy with the results of your "cheap" one.

I am planing on using an internal 2S LiPo pack to power the Pi and maybe the screen for mobile use.

Or if that's not enough power I will get a portable USB power bank.

I can post pictures with my setup when finished. But I think I will open up a new thread then ?
I don't want to do it in your thread. It would confuse other readers I guess.

[RetromanIE]

Thank you.

I have just started yesterday with modifying the inside of the GameBoy.
I will put my Pi on the top part of the case so it might be close with the screen coming on top of it.
That's why I was asking. But I will order my 3.5" screen today.
I am happy with the results of your "cheap" one.

I am planing on using an internal 2S LiPo pack to power the Pi and maybe the screen for mobile use.

Or if that's not enough power I will get a portable USB power bank.

I can post pictures with my setup when finished. But I think I will open up a new thread then ?
I don't want to do it in your thread. It would confuse other readers I guess.

Yeah, create a new thread here and/or on the Raspberry Pi forum as people seem genuinely interested in these sorts of mods. I plan to do another Game Boy once this one is done and I've learned from all my mistakes :)

[GamePi]

Can you post your "config" file with the resolutions and framebuffers please ?

Have you removed all the original existing screw mounting tabs on the inside of the case to fit the screen and PI in ?

How do you plan to stick the two halves together again for the final solution ?

Thank you very much.

[RetromanIE]

Can you post your "config" file with the resolutions and framebuffers please ?

Have you removed all the original existing screw mounting tabs on the inside of the case to fit the screen and PI in ?

How do you plan to stick the two halves together again for the final solution ?

Thank you very much.

I've removed 2 of screw mounting tabs to install the screen. I'm still thinking about the best way to stick the two parts together but thats not a major problem really and wont take long to figure out.

Here's the part the config file text. It wont really be perfect for your screen as you might install it inside the case and be off by a few mm. But it's probably going to be close enough to fix up quickly.



overscan_left=60
overscan_right=65
overscan_top=35
overscan_bottom=6

framebuffer_width=320
framebuffer_height=240

arm_freq=800Careful with the "arm_freq" setting as thats what I use to overclock the Pi and you may not want to do that.

[8bit Diva]

This is really looking great :Cool:
I'll be keeping an eye on this and cant wait to see it when its done :girlgum:

[RetromanIE]

Thanks Diva,
When you're coming over to check out the Vectrex next week you can have a look at it if you like.



.

[8bit Diva]

Thanks Diva,
When you're coming over to check out the Vectrex next week you can have a look at it if you like.

.

That would be cool :)

[RetromanIE]

Ok, not many updates from me in the last week or so. Been very busy with a new business venture.

Anyway, I've been testing using Sugru to fill in some gaps and hold connectors in place like the USB and Network etc. So far it seems to work pretty well and now I just need to mix up some Sugru to match the colour of the Game Boy and I think that will be what I use to hold a lot of things in place.

More updates and a few pics coming soon.

[camer0n]

I have been busy with my Gameboy case. I have taken a heap of the plastic out. Just need to work out how I am attaching the battery cover though. I intend to leave it as a removable piece, but the retaining clip takes up so much space.
I am also looking for a way to charge the phone batteries and boost the output of the from ~3.7V to 5V. There is such limited room in the case, that I don't see it all fitting without chopping up circuit boards.

How is yours going? I check this post (and your boards.ie one) about twice a day :P

[GodsDead]

I finally got my Raspberry Pi last week! I managed to pickup an original gameboy for a quid although it is missing the battery cover :( just waiting for the Tri-Wing screwdriver to come in the post! Don't have a dremmel though, might be a big problem.
Any advances with other cheap screens?

[camer0n]

Not sure if it helps, but i used a cheap knockoff dremel to cut out the main parts of the battery section, but then used a sharp pocket knife to make cut outs, slowly shave away the excess, and clean up the insides. Just be careful though; I ended up with a few scratches across my knuckles and fingers from the tall plastic spikes that hold the case in place.

You should be able to pick up a cheap battery cover on eBay, but you may have issues with matching the colour.

[camer0n]

Retroman, have you had any trouble fitting the ION Go controller into the Gameboy case with the Raspberry Pi?

Do you have any more updates? It's been such a long time since your last post, and a long time before that. Good luck with the new business :)

[RetromanIE]

Retroman, have you had any trouble fitting the ION Go controller into the Gameboy case with the Raspberry Pi?

Do you have any more updates? It's been such a long time since your last post, and a long time before that. Good luck with the new business :)

I've just not had time to do any real work on it to be honest. I got a bit of free time recently but spent that modding my Amiga 600 which can be seen on another thread (http://www.retrovia.ie/showthread.php/15916-Amiga-600-Floppy-Emulator-Mod-%28with-LCD%29).

[camer0n]

Retroman, not sure if you have the same LCD as me (I am hoping you do), but I was wondering if you could take a picture of the LCD controller board. I have been cutting mine down so as to fit it in the case, but unfortunately I have lost my notes on the wiring for the RCA and Power cables, and the scribbles I did on the PCB have rubbed off.

I need to know which colour cables connect to which wire.

[RetromanIE]

Retroman, not sure if you have the same LCD as me (I am hoping you do), but I was wondering if you could take a picture of the LCD controller board. I have been cutting mine down so as to fit it in the case, but unfortunately I have lost my notes on the wiring for the RCA and Power cables, and the scribbles I did on the PCB have rubbed off.

I need to know which colour cables connect to which wire.

I'm actually on my way to Japan at the moment so cant check the actual LCD board but I can say with 100 percent certainty that the below info is correct for my screens.

red= +12v
green = ground
black= av1
white= av2

[camer0n]

Retroman, thankyou, but unfortunately I need to know the position on the board. Perhaps I will have to take a picture to show you what I mean. Have fun in Japan :)

[RetromanIE]

Retroman, thankyou, but unfortunately I need to know the position on the board. Perhaps I will have to take a picture to show you what I mean. Have fun in Japan :)

Yeah, maybe a pic would help me understand what you mean.
On my LCD controller board the solder connections are labels +12v, ground, av1 and av2. And the coloured wires connect to each of these.

[camer0n]

Retroman, these are pictures of the LCD Controller board I have cut back:

http://s15.postimage.org/oj9hkq997/SAM_4122.jpg
http://s15.postimage.org/774jljqe3/SAM_4129.jpg

The white connector at the bottom of the first, and the 4 solder joints (2 are common) on the second, is what I am referring to. I imagine the common will be ground. I want to know before I start soldering, or even testing.

[RetromanIE]

Retroman, these are pictures of the LCD Controller board I have cut back:

http://s15.postimage.org/oj9hkq997/SAM_4122.jpg
http://s15.postimage.org/774jljqe3/SAM_4129.jpg

The white connector at the bottom of the first, and the 4 solder joints (2 are common) on the second, is what I am referring to. I imagine the common will be ground. I want to know before I start soldering, or even testing.

Looks to be a very different board than the LCD's I have.
The connector order on my ones is the same as I posted before,

1. +12v
2. ground
3. av1
4. av2
Not sure if your lcd follows the same design though.

[camer0n]

I have cut out a large section of the board. It was symmetrical and more of a wide T shape.

Oh well, thanks for looking into it anyway. If you get the chance to take pictures when you get back, I am definitely interested :)

[RetromanIE]

I have cut out a large section of the board. It was symmetrical and more of a wide T shape.

Oh well, thanks for looking into it anyway. If you get the chance to take pictures when you get back, I am definitely interested :)

I'll see about some pics in the next day or so as I'm just back.

In the mean time on a non Game Boy or LCD front I got one of those Pibow cases for the Pi to see how it looked and functioned. Very nice little case it is indeed.

http://imageshack.us/a/img204/7017/dsc2660w.jpg

[camer0n]

Heh, you have brought back the spirit of Nyan Cat with you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH2-TGUlwu4

[RetromanIE]

Still haven't had time to do more work on the RasPiBoy.
I've been working on re-organising the internals a bit to make a better end product. I also need to clean up some of the drilling/cutting areas that I used the Dremel on so they look a little better.

I seen some of the other case mods people have done online for their Raspberry Pi's and the Dremel work looks very rough indeed and thats not what I want.

[camer0n]

I think I feel the same as you. I have been using a dremel recently to do help cut back circuit boards. When doing the internals of the Gameboy, I have just been going at it slow with a knife, files and some sandpaper. It it doesn't look neat and tidy, it is going to incomplete :P

Also, how do you plan on trying everything down internally? There is only so much you can do with the room that is available.

[RetromanIE]

Handy little adapter to reduce a little space on the Raspberry Pi. Only problem is the microSD performance isnt going to be as good as a decent standard SD card.
Might be useful for some other projects that don't require a very fast SD card.


http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/7982/966med.jpg (http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/295/966lrg.jpg)

http://www.adafruit.com/products/966

There was something like this up on kickstarter (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/443556734/pio-microsd-adapter-for-raspberry-pi)a while back but adafruit have this in stock right now at half the price.

[RetromanIE]

Nice official overclock now enabled on the default Raspberry Pi image.
Allows you to run at 1Ghz (default was 700Mhz) without voiding the warranty. This should really help out when running emulators and other games.

http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/2008


You can now choose from one of five overclock presets in raspi-config, the highest of which runs the ARM at 1GHz.
The level of stable overclock you can achieve will depend on your specific Pi and on the quality of your power supply; we suggest that Quake 3 is a good stress test for checking if a particular level is completely stable. If you choose too high an overclock, your Pi may fail to boot, in which case holding down the shift key during boot up will disable the overclock for that boot, allowing you to select a lower level.

What does this mean? Comparing the new image with 1GHz turbo enabled, against the previous image at 700MHz, nbench reports 52% faster on integer, 64% faster on floating point and 55% faster on memory.

[DFog]

I am guessing you haven't worked much on your case mod in the past couple of weeks. However you inspired me to do my own but I am currently stumped on how to power the screen off the Pi and wire the USB hub to the Pi. Any advice? Also keep the project going you look so far along, be a shame to never see the end of it.:bsmile1:

[RetromanIE]

I am guessing you haven't worked much on your case mod in the past couple of weeks. However you inspired me to do my own but I am currently stumped on how to power the screen off the Pi and wire the USB hub to the Pi. Any advice? Also keep the project going you look so far along, be a shame to never see the end of it.:bsmile1:

No, I've just been up the wall with other stuff and in particular other mods to do.
I'll get back to it soon I hope after I try something different with my next Raspberry Pi that's coming next week.

[dasimpson]

hi there.
im also doing a rpi into a gameboy build.
i am going to be removeing some parts from my pi to make it fit.
i can post photos off all parts i intend on fitting minus a few parts i have not got them yet but they are only the wifi and dongle for keyboard.
i also have a power salution as my screen wont run on 5 volt but i will be using a ajustable dc-dc boost convertor to gain the 7 volts needed to power the screen.
i am then using the voltage regulator on the lcd to power the rpi.
all this will run off a bank of 18650's in a 4p configoration to give me a total of 20000mah battery (4x5000mah 18650) but i belive they will be more like 5 to 10 amps

sorry about my bad english i am english but i am dyslexic so the theory kind of thinks are my weak side

[RetromanIE]

hi there.
im also doing a rpi into a gameboy build.
i am going to be removeing some parts from my pi to make it fit.
i can post photos off all parts i intend on fitting minus a few parts i have not got them yet but they are only the wifi and dongle for keyboard.
i also have a power salution as my screen wont run on 5 volt but i will be using a ajustable dc-dc boost convertor to gain the 7 volts needed to power the screen.
i am then using the voltage regulator on the lcd to power the rpi.
all this will run off a bank of 18650's in a 4p configoration to give me a total of 20000mah battery (4x5000mah 18650) but i belive they will be more like 5 to 10 amps

sorry about my bad english i am english but i am dyslexic so the theory kind of thinks are my weak side

You can create a new thread in this section (Repairs, Mods and Guides (http://www.retrovia.ie/forumdisplay.php/25-Repairs-Mods-and-Guides)) with your Game Boy mod with pics etc.
That way people will be able to find it easier. Plus it's better for troubleshooting if you have your own dedicated thread for your mod work.

Don't worry about the English at all, its fine.

[dasimpson]

yeah i waa thinking of doing a step by step thing for this will have the time soon to do this

[dasimpson]

are you going to use openelec or raspbmc for the media side ?

[uXe]

Looks like that mini joypad I got will fit well into the controls area of the GB. And I should be able to re-use the original GB Dpad and buttons, which I'm glad about.

http://imageshack.us/a/img6/5162/dsc1165nef.jpg (http://imageshack.us/a/img692/5162/dsc1165nef.jpg)

...if this joypad doesn't work out for you then you may be interested in a little project I have been working on:

http://www.element14.com/community/groups/raspberry-pi/blog/2013/01/02/uxeboy--a-gameboy-based-interface-to-the-raspberry-pi

PS. Loving your project so far - would be great to see an update! :)

[RetromanIE]

...if this joypad doesn't work out for you then you may be interested in a little project I have been working on:

http://www.element14.com/community/groups/raspberry-pi/blog/2013/01/02/uxeboy--a-gameboy-based-interface-to-the-raspberry-pi

PS. Loving your project so far - would be great to see an update! :)

I'll check out that link properly later, seems interesting.
I don't really have much of an update on my own project as I've been working on some other mods and other stuff over the last while.

[camer0n]

Time is running out on the project unfortunately. uXe needs approximately 95 more sponsors in ~ 37 hours to get his project underway.

Good luck uXe!

[Bryn]

Retroman, looking at your posts in this thread. You originally talk about a 3.5" LCD display but then the images + video show a 2.5" display.

Is that a 2.5" LCD or a 3.5" LCD with the display resized somehow?

Got an idea to put a RPI into a Gameboy case, searched and found this thread - good work on it so far!

[dasimpson]

i belive he used a 3.5 inch screen and just resized the res to fit

[Suicicoo]

just for your info, adafruit sells 2,5" screens - but they are not in stock right now :/

[camer0n]

I don't think 2.5" is really the right size. The one I looked at (http://adafruit.com/products/912) is just a fraction too small:

___________LCD (mm)____Gameboy Screen (mm)_________2.8" LCD (mm)
Width________50.27_________48_____________________ _____56.30
Height________38.81_________43____________________ ______43.46
Diagonal______63.5__________65____________________ ______71.12

I think a 2.8" LCD (at the same aspect ratio) is needed to completely fill out the Gameboy Screen. Unfortunately this means a large excess on the width.

Edit: Sorry for the underscores. The spacing collapsed when I posted it.

[bradbill]

such great memories with this device

[nazia08]

Yeah I can repair Game Boy Pc . I have the Latest One...